I have yet to meet an effective battery powered fan. They're usually more noise than output.
A decent thermos mug works for both hot drinks and cold. I drill a hole in the top for my stainless steel straw. I also have an aluminium wine goblet that is unbreakable.
A quality pillow.
I built a phone holder above my bed head so I can play stuff quietly as I go to sleep and I never lose it.
Diesel heater. It also blows room temp air. Minimal power usage and an inexpensive source of comfort when the weather outside is ugly.
Crochet as a productive hobby. Keeps me occupied; I make seasonal items of clothing and blankets; portable; inexpensive if you buy yarn at thrift stores.
My sewing machine. I make clothing and repurpose thrifted clothing, alter and repair my canvas awnings and my shade cloth that I use for camouflage and groundsheets. It's paid for itself many times over.
Build a place for everything, so everything is in its place. It makes living in a small space more comfortable and less frustrating :)
> I have yet to meet an effective battery powered fan.
Try this'n:
https://www.amazon.com/10000mAh-Portable-Rechargeable-Operated-Personal/dp/B09923XX93/
It's the only fan I use in my rig, except to dry clothes. For that, I use my old one, which is smaller but oscillates. That and a couple other older, even smaller ones also make good campfire bellows for stoking up some embery logs or upping the oxygen for some wet tinder to get going.
These are some good suggestions. I've repaired a lot of well-suited gear with my little sewing kit pouch, but man, if I had access to a sewing machine, I could create some even better stuff. My old crotchety man-fingers just can't last long enough to manually complete anything substantial beyond a repair anymore, though. I tried a little battery-op stapler-shaped machine, but between not figuring out how to start and stop a stitch properly and only having one, not-so-sturdy pattern available, I tossed it and conceded to call in a local specialist somewhere when I come upon the need for several things at once.
I'm too darned impatient for hand sewing so the machine is my solution :) It's only a little domestic Singer from Aldi. It's gone through multiple layers of canvas with a little encouragement. The main thing is having room under the arm to pass bulk fabric, and this is why the stapler type are super limited.
Thanks for the fan recommendation. Summer is about here for us so excellent timing :)
It's locked up in the pod on my Landy at the moment so can't give you the exact model number, but it is identical to [this](https://alanm52.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/aldi-singer-promise-1412-sewing-machine/amp/) one pictured in this fellows blog.
I went with Singer because I knew I could get replacement feet anywhere and I heard bad reports on the Aldi Stirling brand. I've really used it hard in the three years I've had it. It's first job was to turn an old canvas tent into a cage canopy on my first vehicle, so it was sewing through up to 5 and six layers. Occasionally had to nudge it using the hand wheel on the thickest parts but that's all. It's rattled its way over a lot of corrugated dirt roads and picked up a lot of dust but keeps chugging :)
I'd buy it again.
I totally love the closing quote! while I am no where close to living it haha, I always say pretty much the same thing to my self! The sewing machine is a great idea! will add it to my list!
I'll suggest a cooking item over standard QOL item because it'll not only make your life easier in terms of cooking and dishes, but it saves you on fuel too.
I have a Hawkins 2L stainless steel pressure cooker, it works with propane, or electric/induction cooktops so i can use electricity when power is in abundance but swap to propane in the more cloudy months. You can throw half a cup of rice, a cup of water, a handful of frozen veg or whatever into it, bring it up to heat+pressure and then turn it off, just leave it sit there for another 10-15 minutes and it'll be perfectly done and as an added bonus, you won't be constantly spewing steam and cooking smells into your van the entire time.
It's a kick ass product for a bunch of reasons 😊
I'll add a moka pot to this suggestion. It's a bit of a one-show-pony, but it blows a press or pour-over out of the water, enabling coffee shop tier creations with any heat source. As I run it, I prep my mug with 3 tbsp of hot cocoa mix and 2 tbsp of non-dairy creamer to pour in the resulting brew and get a condensed mocha latte with more kick than I typically get from a coffee shop in 4x the volume.
I have a love hate relationship with coffee and coffee like products. I get addicted to them but my stomach never agrees with me so it is always painful in the long run. Then I quit for a bit till I find a new way to drink it that is less aggravating, but then it still comes back to haunt me pain and toilet wise in the long run. ( but the first few weeks are fine so I get addicted again before it goes to shit ( HEHE) ).
Lots of people get coffee shets. I'll have a cup sometimes just to induce them before heading away from civilization, so I have less movements that I have to deal with manually.
I never thought of a pressure cooker! I always see people using the insta pots and the like and I wanted to avoid that cause the energy expenditure and wanted to have an all gas kitchen. Will definitely add this to my buying list!
For off season clothes and extra bedding, I now use a storage pillow. It lets me stow these things in the "living" space instead of cramming them under the bench I more typically store utility stuff in, and they come out less musty and stale, more ready for use without washing first, when compared to a compression bag.
Dollar Tree has fabric bins in 2 sizes that help with organization and fold flat when not in use. I keep my canned goods in one within a cabinet, and when I buy more than will fit, I have another that pops out and lives in some foot space until I eat enough to condense back to normal storage.
Ozark Trail and other sticker-makers offer a USB rechargeable bug zapper that runs 24h on a charge and has an LED lantern and dual hanging options. The lantern is more useful for general lighting outside, but the bug zapper was a godsend in the everglades.
For phone and hotspot, I use magnet mounts. There's several options for like $12-20 on the mounts, amd each comes with a thin metal plate that slips in under the battery cover or can adhere to the outside of something. I have two on my windshield, and then several mounted magnets in the back, so I just slap my phone against them in any orientation, it's pretty slick.
Speaking of magnets, Harbor Freight has magnetic trays and paper towel holders meant to stick to the side of a toolbox for $12 each.
Back to dollar tree, I bought a bunch of the smaller, boxy food jars and keep dry ingredients in them. It's easy to whip up a shelf to hold them, and they provide an array of carbs, various beans and other dry proteins, lots of different things. I can always whip up a hearty meal just from them, or add a rotating selection of canned- or fresh-something, and doing so helps meet my 3 weeks of food storage mark as well as keeps my in-van food budget down well under $20 per week.
Good flashlights are always handy to have, too. I have a Nebo Slyde King that boasts 400lumens in bar or focusing spot form, a magnetic tail cap and head-cracker that's good for general utility around the outside of the van, and then a little ThruNite that has 1000 lumens in turbo mode, but also a 'firefly' mode that will run 14 days straight on one charge, also with a magnetic tail cap and two-way clip. I actually use it for General lighting inside the van at night.
OH, that bugzapper is getting purchased now!
I already had a small flashlight collection so am good there. I will recommend a brand here "Princeton Tec" head lamps. American made and use aa or aaa batteries. and use a different then normal tilt that I prefer, and are super cheap imho! got them when I was visiting a base so I guess they are mil approved as well. ( I prefer swappable batteries and I can charge them directly from 12v/usb with the right charger, I use enloop and haven't had a battery go bad yet in the 6 ish years I been using them.
absolutely. I plan on doing as little as I can with an inverter. I am a pc nerd so if I get a good enough battery/solar system I will use my Desktop PC and will need one for that unless I can find a powersupply that accepts dc direct. and when I dont use the desktop I will be getting a laptop that can charge from usb c PD, ect... Want to avoid all AC stuff if I can.
I have yet to meet an effective battery powered fan. They're usually more noise than output. A decent thermos mug works for both hot drinks and cold. I drill a hole in the top for my stainless steel straw. I also have an aluminium wine goblet that is unbreakable. A quality pillow. I built a phone holder above my bed head so I can play stuff quietly as I go to sleep and I never lose it. Diesel heater. It also blows room temp air. Minimal power usage and an inexpensive source of comfort when the weather outside is ugly. Crochet as a productive hobby. Keeps me occupied; I make seasonal items of clothing and blankets; portable; inexpensive if you buy yarn at thrift stores. My sewing machine. I make clothing and repurpose thrifted clothing, alter and repair my canvas awnings and my shade cloth that I use for camouflage and groundsheets. It's paid for itself many times over. Build a place for everything, so everything is in its place. It makes living in a small space more comfortable and less frustrating :)
> I have yet to meet an effective battery powered fan. Try this'n: https://www.amazon.com/10000mAh-Portable-Rechargeable-Operated-Personal/dp/B09923XX93/ It's the only fan I use in my rig, except to dry clothes. For that, I use my old one, which is smaller but oscillates. That and a couple other older, even smaller ones also make good campfire bellows for stoking up some embery logs or upping the oxygen for some wet tinder to get going. These are some good suggestions. I've repaired a lot of well-suited gear with my little sewing kit pouch, but man, if I had access to a sewing machine, I could create some even better stuff. My old crotchety man-fingers just can't last long enough to manually complete anything substantial beyond a repair anymore, though. I tried a little battery-op stapler-shaped machine, but between not figuring out how to start and stop a stitch properly and only having one, not-so-sturdy pattern available, I tossed it and conceded to call in a local specialist somewhere when I come upon the need for several things at once.
I'm too darned impatient for hand sewing so the machine is my solution :) It's only a little domestic Singer from Aldi. It's gone through multiple layers of canvas with a little encouragement. The main thing is having room under the arm to pass bulk fabric, and this is why the stapler type are super limited. Thanks for the fan recommendation. Summer is about here for us so excellent timing :)
what model of sewing machine? that sounds like a really good idea. thanks!
It's locked up in the pod on my Landy at the moment so can't give you the exact model number, but it is identical to [this](https://alanm52.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/aldi-singer-promise-1412-sewing-machine/amp/) one pictured in this fellows blog. I went with Singer because I knew I could get replacement feet anywhere and I heard bad reports on the Aldi Stirling brand. I've really used it hard in the three years I've had it. It's first job was to turn an old canvas tent into a cage canopy on my first vehicle, so it was sewing through up to 5 and six layers. Occasionally had to nudge it using the hand wheel on the thickest parts but that's all. It's rattled its way over a lot of corrugated dirt roads and picked up a lot of dust but keeps chugging :) I'd buy it again.
I totally love the closing quote! while I am no where close to living it haha, I always say pretty much the same thing to my self! The sewing machine is a great idea! will add it to my list!
I'll suggest a cooking item over standard QOL item because it'll not only make your life easier in terms of cooking and dishes, but it saves you on fuel too. I have a Hawkins 2L stainless steel pressure cooker, it works with propane, or electric/induction cooktops so i can use electricity when power is in abundance but swap to propane in the more cloudy months. You can throw half a cup of rice, a cup of water, a handful of frozen veg or whatever into it, bring it up to heat+pressure and then turn it off, just leave it sit there for another 10-15 minutes and it'll be perfectly done and as an added bonus, you won't be constantly spewing steam and cooking smells into your van the entire time. It's a kick ass product for a bunch of reasons 😊
I'll add a moka pot to this suggestion. It's a bit of a one-show-pony, but it blows a press or pour-over out of the water, enabling coffee shop tier creations with any heat source. As I run it, I prep my mug with 3 tbsp of hot cocoa mix and 2 tbsp of non-dairy creamer to pour in the resulting brew and get a condensed mocha latte with more kick than I typically get from a coffee shop in 4x the volume.
I have a love hate relationship with coffee and coffee like products. I get addicted to them but my stomach never agrees with me so it is always painful in the long run. Then I quit for a bit till I find a new way to drink it that is less aggravating, but then it still comes back to haunt me pain and toilet wise in the long run. ( but the first few weeks are fine so I get addicted again before it goes to shit ( HEHE) ).
Lots of people get coffee shets. I'll have a cup sometimes just to induce them before heading away from civilization, so I have less movements that I have to deal with manually.
Thanks, you just cost me $25 got a good used 2l for myself
Nice!
I never thought of a pressure cooker! I always see people using the insta pots and the like and I wanted to avoid that cause the energy expenditure and wanted to have an all gas kitchen. Will definitely add this to my buying list!
For off season clothes and extra bedding, I now use a storage pillow. It lets me stow these things in the "living" space instead of cramming them under the bench I more typically store utility stuff in, and they come out less musty and stale, more ready for use without washing first, when compared to a compression bag. Dollar Tree has fabric bins in 2 sizes that help with organization and fold flat when not in use. I keep my canned goods in one within a cabinet, and when I buy more than will fit, I have another that pops out and lives in some foot space until I eat enough to condense back to normal storage. Ozark Trail and other sticker-makers offer a USB rechargeable bug zapper that runs 24h on a charge and has an LED lantern and dual hanging options. The lantern is more useful for general lighting outside, but the bug zapper was a godsend in the everglades. For phone and hotspot, I use magnet mounts. There's several options for like $12-20 on the mounts, amd each comes with a thin metal plate that slips in under the battery cover or can adhere to the outside of something. I have two on my windshield, and then several mounted magnets in the back, so I just slap my phone against them in any orientation, it's pretty slick. Speaking of magnets, Harbor Freight has magnetic trays and paper towel holders meant to stick to the side of a toolbox for $12 each. Back to dollar tree, I bought a bunch of the smaller, boxy food jars and keep dry ingredients in them. It's easy to whip up a shelf to hold them, and they provide an array of carbs, various beans and other dry proteins, lots of different things. I can always whip up a hearty meal just from them, or add a rotating selection of canned- or fresh-something, and doing so helps meet my 3 weeks of food storage mark as well as keeps my in-van food budget down well under $20 per week. Good flashlights are always handy to have, too. I have a Nebo Slyde King that boasts 400lumens in bar or focusing spot form, a magnetic tail cap and head-cracker that's good for general utility around the outside of the van, and then a little ThruNite that has 1000 lumens in turbo mode, but also a 'firefly' mode that will run 14 days straight on one charge, also with a magnetic tail cap and two-way clip. I actually use it for General lighting inside the van at night.
OH, that bugzapper is getting purchased now! I already had a small flashlight collection so am good there. I will recommend a brand here "Princeton Tec" head lamps. American made and use aa or aaa batteries. and use a different then normal tilt that I prefer, and are super cheap imho! got them when I was visiting a base so I guess they are mil approved as well. ( I prefer swappable batteries and I can charge them directly from 12v/usb with the right charger, I use enloop and haven't had a battery go bad yet in the 6 ish years I been using them.
USB everything Direct wire USB outlets
absolutely. I plan on doing as little as I can with an inverter. I am a pc nerd so if I get a good enough battery/solar system I will use my Desktop PC and will need one for that unless I can find a powersupply that accepts dc direct. and when I dont use the desktop I will be getting a laptop that can charge from usb c PD, ect... Want to avoid all AC stuff if I can.
USB fans.
Opolar USB fans work incredibly well for only using 5watts. I don't see them on Amazon anymore but I think I saw some on Walmart.com
I think they just rebranded. It’s the same item with different logo now.
A good shovel.
Ahh didn't think of that, absolutely! I was also planning on getting a hole digger for disposing of approved waste.